It is great news for the staff at Car Hire Stansted Airport at news of the airport wanting to expand, because it will provide more customers. Although they do agree there should be an input towards transport facilities.

There is a call for Stansted Airport to provide a significant contribution to transport facilities before the airport is allowed to more than double in size.

That is the request from Herts County Council this week as it welcomed a debate on Manchester Airports Group’s (MAG) draft Sustainable Development Plan (SDP), setting out how full use of the existing single runway could be achieved, beyond the current 35 million passengers a year planning permission.

In the report published last week for consultation, MAG suggests the runway could cope with up to 45 million travellers every 12 months, without the need for additional land. The airport is currently operating with around 18 million passengers a year, but could exceed its current capacity within a decade. The plan will inform the government’s Airports Commission, which will be making recommendations to Government on where to maximise capacity in the UK over the coming decades.

Cllr Richard Thake said “Herts County Council welcomes this consultation as a first step in generating a debate around how the airport can grow in a more sustainable way, using the existing single runway. Communities, businesses and local authorities will need to be convinced that going beyond the existing cap on passengers using the airport can be achieved in a way which addresses potentially adverse results. As well as minimising the impact on communities and the environment, any changes need to maximise economic benefits in the area. There will need to be a proper contribution to the provision of supporting infrastructure, particularly transport. Assurances on all of these matters must be secured during the preparation of the Sustainable Development Plan, so that it provides a robust basis for any future planning permission sought by the airport’s owners. I would urge everyone in Herts and beyond with an interest in the airport to engage in this consultation and make their views known by the November deadline.”